SAINT IGNACE, MICHIGAN: It makes sense for the Western Hemisphere’s biggest suspension bridge to have something else big to boast about: The Mackinac Bridge in Northern Michigan now sports the widest audio bandwidth of any Highway Advisory Radio Stations operated by any department of transportation in the 50 states.

Motorists make their way across Mighty Mac.

The FCC approved in February the new 5000 Hz filtering formulation that effectively expands HAR stations’ bandwidth by almost 70% without the necessity for transmitters to be re-certified. It took the Mackinac Bridge Authority fewer than 3 weeks after the announcement to get the HQ5.0 upgrade kits procured and installed on its pair of stations that flank the Span to the north and south.

Techs above the tollbooths transition the HAR transmitter to top quality audio.

The difference in overall audio quality and intelligibility is apparent. Technicians making the changeover noticed immediate differences such as being able to hear the “dge” sound in the word “bridge” and the “t” and “s” sounds in the broadcast - which before had been rolled off by the transmitters’ original 3000 Hz filters.

Augments Student Safety by Simulcasting Notifications to
Area Motorists

RENO, NV: When motorists need to receive immediate emergency information, safety officials don’t want drivers digging for mobile phones. That is why Emergency Manager Ed Atwell at the University of Nevada Reno envisioned a means of transmitting text-based alert messages – not only to cellphones and PC’s – but also to automobile radios near his campus.

Flashing Beacon Signs installed at intersections on the UCI Campus in Irvine, California, activate in an emergency and direct motorists to the school’s Information Radio frequency for detailed information.

Atwell explains, “An emergency message goes out as a text/email message to all faculty, staff and students, as well as anyone who has registered contact information via personal cellphones, and also scrolls on all university PC’s and monitors. At the same time, the message is automatically enunciated and broadcast, interrupting the normal radio programming on our campus’ Information Radio Station.”

The method of tying text alerts and radio broadcasting together was given the name “ENcast” by Information Station Specialists and can be instituted on many CAP/EAS compliant notification systems such as E2Campus/Ameralert, AlertSense and others.

Related technology can be used to automatically engage solar-powered emergency signs – such as the one pictured above in use by the University of California Irvine – in conjunction with text-based notifications. The signs can advise motorists to take a specific action and/or to monitor a special radio frequency for more information.

The understanding that motorists are at risk when dangerous situations arise is beginning to take hold not only at universities but in the communities that envelop them. On a Saturday night in Kalamazoo, Michigan, last month, an Uber driver began randomly executing people he encountered during a crime rampage that spanned the evening. Because the incident took place at locations that were near – but not on – the Western Michigan University Campus, students were perplexed that the administration did not notify students of the imminent danger just miles away. In published articles, University President John Dunn admitted that the school had failed to provide adequate updates to students and staff. But it was motorists – both on and off the WMU campus – who interacted innocently with this threat for six hours until the shooter was apprehended. The largest loss of life were five women in a vehicle who encountered the shooter in a parking lot. Four lost their lives. See the WMU Kalamazoo story.

Letters to The Source

Keeping Delaware Aware

“For special events, we promote our radio station WTMC on 1380 AM as a way to get real-time info. Our electronic message signs will say “Tune to WTMC 1380 AM.” You can also listen to WTMC on the DelDOT app as we stream. We have begun to install more static signs advising “Travel Info – Tune to WTMC 1380 AM” also and we continue to add more 1380 repeater sites.

WASHINGTON, DC: Since the dawn of broadcasting, running a radio station without a license has been frowned upon. Not only does it inevitably cause interference to legally licensed station operators, it can result in steep fines and seizure of equipment if the “pirate” is caught by the Commission.

On March 1st, the FCC issued an enforcement advisory that reminds us: “WARNING: Unauthorized Radio Broadcasting is Illegal.”

The advisory lists handy resources you can use to look up the real radio stations in your area and determine if a signal that is interfering with yours is a licensed operation – or not.

It then provides a link you can use to file a complaint . . . "against the scalawags!"